Tuning-peg fob guitars



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFC.

JAMES ASHBORN, OF WOLCOTVILLE, CONNECTICUT.

TUNING-PEG- FOR GUITARS.

Specification of Letters Patent No.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, J. ASHBORN, of IVOI-cotville, Connecticut,have invented a certain new and useful Improvementin Tuning Pegs or Keys for Guitars, Violins, and other StringedInstruments, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, makingpart of this specification, in which- Figure l is a plan; and Fig. 2 asection in the pla-ne of t-he axis of the keys.

The same letters indicate like parts in the two figures.

The modes heretofore and now universally employed for tuning guitars andviolins are the wooden pegs and the metallic keys. The former of theseare defective for the reason that they are too apt to slip under thetension of the string, and if they be wedged in too hard then it isdifiicult to turn them, the fingers not having suiiicient leverage toovercome the tension of the strings and the fric tion of the surfaces.And as it is a Well known fact that in such cases the pegs can only beturned by jumps, as it may be termed, accuracy in the tuning becomesexceedingly difficult, particularly on the bass strings where a veryslight variation in the tension produces a marked difference, in thetone. And the latter'of these modes is objectionable on account of theweight, expense and the injurious effects on the tone of the instrument,as it is well known that the presence of metal connected with any partof the instrument affects its vibrations, and besides this the slightestdefect in the construction or wear will occasion a rattling sound whichis very offensive to the ear.

Notwithstanding the metal key avoids en tirely the difculty of turningpresented by the wooden peg, yet the other defects are so great, thatfor all good instruments the wooden peg is preferred by all goodmusicians.

The object of my invention is to combine all the advantages of bothmodes, and to this 9,268, dated September 21, 1852.

end the nature of my invention consists in making that part of thewooden peg which is fitted to and turns in the handle of the instrument,and which may be called the journal, of much greater diameter than thebarrel or part on which the string is coiled or wound up, and therebygive such leverage to the surface which makes friction and which resiststhe tension of the spring as effectually to hold the string without thenecessity of wedging or driving in the peg too hard, and at the sametime so enlarge the radius that if it be turned by jumps or jerks theeffect will be so much reduced on the string as greatly to facilitatethe accuracy of tuning.

In the accompanying drawings a represents the handle of a guitar, b, thehead, and c the pegs fitted thereto. These pegs are in all particularslike the ordinary pegs, except that the part d, (which may be called thejournal) fitted to the hole in the head is of a much greater diameterthan the barrel part e, on which the string is coiled. The handle partf, may be made in the usual or any form desired, and as the surface ofthe journal part is much increased the holes in the head can be bushedwith ivory or other hard subst-ance which will be more durable.

IVhen applied to violins, the pegs on this improved plan need not passthrough both cheeks as heretofore, it can be done if desired, but theywill be found to hold suficiently by passing through one side only.

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Making the tuning pegs of guitars and other like stringed instruments,with the journal part of much greater diameter than the barrel on whichthe string is coiled, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

. JAMES ASHBORN.

Vitnesses:

GEO. D. WADHAMs, HENRY I. BARLEDEN.

